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Does religion affect your vote?

Does religion affect your vote?

  • It is my main focus.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • It is not the main focus but important.

    Votes: 5 10.6%

  • It has some influence.

    Votes: 6 12.8%

  • I mildly consider it.

    Votes: 3 6.4%

  • I don't really care.

    Votes: 15 31.9%

  • I think they spend to much time on this topic.

    Votes: 7 14.9%

  • It is a distraction to me.

    Votes: 3 6.4%

  • I wish the candidates were atheists.

    Votes: 8 17.0%
  • Total voters
    47
Inferno

Inferno

activist professor
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I know that this is a question that always comes up about candidates. I wonder how much religion influences you when you make your way to the polling place.

I know for me it means nothing. I would rather have a candidate that says he or she is an atheist then a believer. I know this is unlikely to happen in my lifetime here in the US.

To what degree does religion affect the way you vote?
 
A person's religion really has no effect on my vote at all.

I wouldn't vote or not vote for someone based on any personal characteristics such as race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status etc.
 
Tucker Case said:
A person's religion really has no effect on my vote at all.
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How about their personal interpretation of that religion? There's a guy I know who's a total whackjob because of his truly insane interpretation of Christanity, to the point where he calls all Christians who disagree with his exceedingly narrow views atheists. The fact that he's a Christians has no impact upon a hypothetical vote for him. The fact that his interpretation is 100% loony does though.
 
My religion has a lot to do with my political views, but not entirely. I think if I were to be become nonreligious for seem reason, I'd still hold the same opinions that I do now. I'm Catholic, so that's influenced me to be pro-life, both in the case of abortion and the death penalty. However, a lot of Catholics that I've heard speak are against immigration control (if that's the correct term), they don't care how people get here and the welcome them. I'm not that way, and I support illegal immigrants being deported 100%.
 
obvious Child said:
How about their personal interpretation of that religion? There's a guy I know who's a total whackjob because of his truly insane interpretation of Christanity, to the point where he calls all Christians who disagree with his exceedingly narrow views atheists. The fact that he's a Christians has no impact upon a hypothetical vote for him. The fact that his interpretation is 100% loony does though.
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Wouldn't effect me if I agreed with his political views.
 
I am not concerned what religion a political candidate has. I am concerned what religion means to that candidate.

Humans are spiritual creatures. Belief is essential to who each of us are. Even an atheist has at his core those concepts that being "This I believe...."

No man nor woman can think, choose, decide, or act without their beliefs playing a part in the process. It is important, therefore, when casting one's vote to get a measure of the man (or woman), and to understand what personal values they hold: do they pray? Are they part of a church/temple/synagogue/mosque? Do they seek to understand in all times and places what the right and proper course is, and do they seek the courage to hew to that course come what may?

Religion matters, not because it matters whether a candidate for office is Christian or Muslim, Hindu or Jew, Buddhist or Atheist, but because religion is a part of the measure of the man--and to vote well, we must first measure well.

I will happily vote for a conscientious and sincere Atheist who seeks a right path for himself instead of a hypocritical Christian who confines religion to Sunday mornings.
 
Tucker Case said:
Wouldn't effect me if I agreed with his political views.
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I dunno. Someone who goes around calling Christians atheists because they disagree with one minor detail of Christanity doesn't seem like the best person to give power to even if I agreed with his beliefs. Some that incredibly abrasive, intolerant, and close minded is hard to vote for. Think of TD. I actually agree with a fair number of his principle positions. But would I vote for him? No.
 
I am totally nonreligious. Not an atheist, not really an agnostic. I just don't care for or about religion. It does not effect my views, either of issues or people. I judge people on their words an actions, not on their religion. If their religion makes them do unpleasant things, I blame them, not the religion.
 
obvious Child said:
Some that incredibly abrasive, intolerant, and close minded is hard to vote for.
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Those are personality traits more than they are religion. I might not vote for someone on the basis on their personality traits. It wouldn't be on the basis of their religious views.
 
Yes. I won't vote for a radical Christian. That basically guarantees I won't EVER vote Republican.
 
I have to put my personal atheist views behind me when i vote. Most people that run for many offices in the Us are somewhat religious. I rarely vote for a majority party candidate. I did this time and had to get by the religion. I stay away from anyone that is really religious. I also frown on those that tell me they are a special religion and they don't follow the rules of said religion.
 
I don't think religion matters in the least, to me political platform is well more important. I also think that for such an insignificant statistic, we spend WAY too much time harping on it. Religion is like asking a candidate which episode of Futurama is the best (it's the last aired episode where Fry makes the opera, BTW). Yay...but ultimately offers no data into the political platform of the candidate.
 
Inferno said:
I know for me it means nothing. I would rather have a candidate that says he or she is an atheist then a believer.
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This is a contradiction.
 
So long as you keep it secular, I don't care what you believe.
 
If you mean does my belief system effect my views on politics and society then, like all people, I'd say of course.

If you mean do I vote for or against a candidate because of their religious views then I'd say I'd prefer someone who was a traditionalist Anglican or at least a Christian but it is not the most important thing I look for. So it has an effect but it is far from my overriding concern.
 
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I could care in the least about a persons religion, however to insert some debate into this thread I will argue the point that 76% of American's identify themselves as Christians and as such one could argue that the majority has the right to be led by those whom share in their beliefs.

This country is based on the right to religion, or the right to have none. Would our country be better-off without candidates labelled as the anti-christ and the such? Most definitely, but that is the beauty of democracy. My line-in-the-sand is at the point where only christians can serve in the U.S. government, as the Constitution protects against any religious test.
 
If their religion includes stoning certain members of congress it may influence my vote to their favor.
 
Don't care.

I care about his political actions and integrity. His religion or background in it is not really that important to me. His/her stance on issues is the most important to me.
 
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My religion affects my views. As far as my votes... one Christian's as good as another, and it's not like I'm going to get any other options on that front.
 
One's religion has absolutely zero effect on who I would vote for. However, if those religious views affect the candidate's positions on issues, their religion might affect who I would vote for as a result.

As always with religion, it's not what someone believes, it's what they do with it.
 
I've said before that the people on this forum have a higher IQ than the norm for our population. I think the replies on this particular thread show this, especially in light of the polls that state atheists are so mistrusted. Not one person so far has stated they would not vote for someone because they lacked a religion.

That's not to say there aren't those who admitted religion plays a role in their decision.

Maybe my assessment of another generation til we have an openly atheistic president is to conservative.
 
Dogger807 said:
I've said before that the people on this forum have a higher IQ than the norm for our population. I think the replies on this particular thread show this, especially in light of the polls that state atheists are so mistrusted. Not one person so far has stated they would not vote for someone because they lacked a religion.

That's not to say there aren't those who admitted religion plays a role in their decision.

Maybe my assessment of another generation til we have an openly atheistic president is to conservative.
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I agree that it will happen within the next 50 years. I would not expect and atheist president before then though.
 
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